Freeplay or Street Cube EX

[martingitdave]

I would likely be using it with the Taylor ES2. I guess I might use it with the Trance Amulet. I also have a Line 6 Variax that I'd like to be able to use it with. Not sure if it would be compatible with any of them. If I go for it, I will order from Amazon for free returns. Seems like black would be the way to go.


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[AeroUSA]

Works with ES2. I getting a 914CE for live use. That's a great pickup isn't it..

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by AeroUSA

Works with ES2. I getting a 914CE for live use. That's a great pickup isn't it..

Wow, did you pickup the 914 that was for sale on the forum? That was a sweet guitar. It certainly tempted me. I know there are some folks who have negative experiences with ES2, but I am not one of them. For my style of music, it's been outstanding. The most number of compliments on my amplified sound came when I was playing one of the redesigned 816ce with ES2. I was a dummy for selling that guitar.


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[lkingston]

Here's a demo of the Roland Street Cube EX that is worth listening to even just for the music alone:

https://youtu.be/O2pZ34TmRw4


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[Thisisme]

Originally Posted by lkingston

I have two Roland Street Cube EXs which I use either individuals or as a pair for a PA. I like them but with a couple of caveats.

When I got the first one I was kind of disappointed because it sounded tinny. Then I looked online and found some people talking about replacing the speakers with Jensen Mod 8 4ohm ones. I did this and the sound was improved immensely, especially in the lows and low mids. I liked it so much that I got a second one and replaced the speakers in that one as well. Both were slightly used which was good because I would have voided the warranty anyway.

The other thing is that I plug my guitar into a Boss VE-8 and from there into the stereo input using the 1/4" jacks. This gives me far more control and a much better sound than you would just plugging into the regular guitar input. Since the VE-8 has both mic and guitar inputs, this means that I can actually hand my guitar and have two inputs for a second mic and second instrument. With two in the PA configuration the inputs are doubled.

What's cool is the stereo effects from the VE-8 in actual stereo. If I use just one, the effects go between the left and right speakers in the single cabinet. If I use two, I use a dual 1/4" cable, flick two switches, and get a nice left/right image between both cabinets.

Overall volume is quite limited. It's deceptive because you might only be halfway turned up and feel like you have lots of headroom but you really don't. This will be obvious if you need to get up over a large amount of background noise. Right up to that limit though it sounds really clean and full. Fortunately an acoustic act like mine in a small to mid sized room is well within that limit.

When you use two as a PA, you have 100 watts, but that isn't RMS. It's better than what you old calculate as peak though. I'm not sure how you really should compare it.

With two, both sets of inputs show up in both cabinets with the stereo ins properly routed to the left and right speakers.

The lower wattage settings work really well for practice, and in fact I usually use the lowest setting for acoustic rehearsals.

You can buy extra empty AA battery holders for about $12 directly from Roland. Full Compass also sells them for quite a bit more. I have two extras loaded with 2700 mAh NiMH batteries so I feel no worries about making it through any gig. My experience is that one set of batteries should easily last a four hour gig. I just don't like taking chances.

The final bag that Roland sells for this is nice and is designed to stay on when you are playing, but it doesn't give you access to the speaker mount hole, nor is it designed for a sideways position. There is also a bag made by Tuki covers that comes off when you are at a gig and is nicely padded with a nice big front pocket. I have the Roland case for one and the Tuki bag for the other. When I use it as a PA, I keep one on the floor as combination monitor/main and the other one on a stand. It seems to provide good coverage that way and I can hear myself.

Speaking of pole mounts, the Street Cube EX uses the slightly wider diameter hole that Roland puts on their own stands in order to encourage you to buy this from them as well. I use an $10 adapter but it is silly to have to.

I got this mainly for practice and it is just wonderful for that. I am planning on using it for gigs though now that I have it. The resin cases are incredibly light and the sound is plenty for small to mid sized venues if you are doing acoustic listening music. At listening room volumes the sound is clear and rich and full (with the Jensen speakers).

My thing is acoustic guitar with two vocals and occasional guest instruments and third harmony parts. This is a big deal because so many acoustic amps have just two channels for one vocal and one guitar. I have a Henriksen Bud which sounds wonderful, but I can't use it with a guitar and two vocals. The same would be true with a Loudbox or an AER or most other small amps. The Street Cube EX has enough inputs for my needs, and sounds great at the levels that I play.




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Hello. Would you say the acoustic tone is now alot better with the mod?

I have both the street ex and the AC33. The AC33 sounds amazing but the cube ex sounds brittle and lifeless with the EX when I use an acoustic guitar. I'm thinking of selling my EX. Which Is a shame because it is so versatile and makes a great electric amp. I just wished the EX Could sound as good as the AC33 for acoustic tone. I'm hoping that it could be the speakers I dislike as apposed to the amp itself.

[lkingston]

Yes, the tone is a whole lot better with the replacement speakers, especially in the low frequencies.

[lkingston]

Having had the Street Cube EX for a little longer, I have one small complaint. The high frequency drivers resonate at around 10k. You don’t really hear it in the tone, but it makes it feed back and squeal a lot more easily then it should.